Analysis & Opinions - Bloomberg Opinion

Trump’s Iraq Visit Alone Won’t Undo Damage He Did Last Week

| Dec. 26, 2018

The move of President Donald Trump to visit Baghdad on Wednesday is a small, good one, amid a week of calamitous decisions. The press will understandably highlight the time that Trump spends with U.S. troops. Yet a key objective of the trip will have been to shore up the new Iraqi government's confidence in the U.S., as Iraqi officials must be high on the list of those shocked by the president’s recent decisions to rapidly withdraw U.S. forces from Syria and Afghanistan. Perhaps the president has realized that his administration has some hard work to do if there is any hope of keeping his latest determinations from dramatically strengthening Iran.

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For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation: O'Sullivan, Meghan.“Trump’s Iraq Visit Alone Won’t Undo Damage He Did Last Week.” Bloomberg Opinion, December 26, 2018.

The Author

Meghan O'Sullivan

Meghan L. O'Sullivan

  • Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
  • Member of the Board, Belfer Center
  • Faculty Affiliate, Middle East Initiative
Expertise:
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